Oracle
by Dashiva
Summary: Meeting some old friends may lead to Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant. But is it too good to be true?


**Star Trek Voyager – Oracle**

Another blast hit the Ferengi Pod. Inside the Pod, Dr Arridor fell out of his chair. He cursed and returned to his chair.  
"Shields are at 10!" Arridor's companion, Kol, replied.  
Arridor growled. "Stupid Hirogen. All we try to do is cross their space to get back to the Alpha Quadrant, and they think we are trophies to collect!"  
Yet another blast hit the Pod. The shields collapsed, and a warning klaxon blared. Kol furiously punched the controls, trying to restore shields. The Hirogen hailed them.  
"Unidentified vessel, prepare for destruction." The transmission ended.  
"I would hate to see their Annual Income Status." Kol remarked.  
Arridor slapped him on the head. "Shut up and restore the shields!"  
Kol made a sound like a Terran Mouse being trodden on, then continued his work. Outside Arridor could see the Hirogen vessel close in, armed to the teeth and ready to kill them.  
Suddenly, just as the Hirogen were preparing to destroy them, another ship came out of warp. It fired phasers on the Hirogen, disabling them. As the Hirogen floated, dead in space, the other vessel hailed them. It looked familiar.  
"Ferengi vessel, this is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager. Please respond."  
Arridor and Kol looked at each other. "Janeway." They said at the same time.  
"Ferengi vessel, please respond." Janeway said.  
Kol lay in a course away from Voyager and attempted to go to warp, but was stopped by a tractor beam. They were being pulled into Voyager's Shuttle Bay.  
Kol slammed his fists on the controls in rage. "Ahh! Janeway has us! What are we going to do?"  
Arridor suddenly grinned. "We'll tell them what we found on Juradell III."  
Kol grinned as well, and began to laugh.

Captain Janeway, flanked by Lieutenant Commander Tuvok and Commander Chakotay, headed for the Shuttle Bay. Voyager had come into contact with many vessels over the past four and a half years, but they had only seen a Ferengi vessel once before today.  
"Any theories, gentlemen?" Janeway asked.  
"The most likely assumption is that a Ferengi vessel was sent on a deep space mission several years ago, and has been travelling ever since." Tuvok replied.  
"It would still take them at least fifty years to get to this point without the aid of a wormhole or portal." Chakotay said. "They could have been taken by the Caretaker like we were, and deposited in this area of space."  
"I guess we won't know until we ask them." Janeway said, ending the discussion.  
The three of them reached the Shuttle Bay, where two security guards with phaser rifles were standing near the Ferengi vessel. Janeway walked over to the vessel, and the hatch opened.  
Janeway had a split second's warning before a Ferengi leapt out of the vessel and knocked over one of the guards. They both fell to the ground, and the Ferengi picked up the guard's rifle. Tuvok was quicker, and stunned the Ferengi before it could fire.  
A second Ferengi came out of the vessel, holding a small hand phaser. "Put your weapons down!" the Ferengi shouted.  
Chakotay pulled out his phaser and shot the Ferengi's weapon out of his hands. The Ferengi raised his hands in the air in surrender. Janeway picked up the Ferengi's phaser and examined it.  
"The power cell's drained." She remarked. "Won't do much damage to us." She tossed the weapon aside, then looked at the Ferengi that had been stunned by Tuvok.  
She rolled his unconscious body over, and recognised who it was. Arridor, the Ferengi they had met a year ago, who had set himself up as a prophet. That must mean that his companion was Kol.  
"Get them both to Sickbay." Janeway told Tuvok. "I want Mr Arridor awake as soon as possible."

With the help of the security guards, Tuvok took the two Ferengi down to Sickbay, leaving Janeway and Chakotay alone. "How did they get back to the Delta Quadrant?" Janeway asked.  
Chakotay shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps the wormhole they went through just led to another part of the Quadrant, instead of home."  
Janeway nodded. "That's a possibility. We'll just have to ask Arridor when he wakes up."

Light was the first thing Arridor saw as he awoke. He was on Voyager, that much he could tell. He just didn't know where on Voyager he was. He tried to get up, but a human male with a bald head stopped him.  
"Try to relax." The human said. "Most Ferengi don't take well to phaser stuns."  
Arridor lay back on the bed, and saw the human woman, Janeway, come in with the pointy-eared Vulcan. What was his name, Tuok? Tovuk?  
"So good to see you again, Mr Arridor." Janeway remarked. "I would have thought you'd be back at the Alpha Quadrant by now."  
"Unfortunately, no." Arridor replied. "It appeared the wormhole had become unstable on the other side as well. We were sent towards the Alpha Quadrant, but not far enough. We've encountered many interesting species over the past year, like the Hirogen, the Krenim…" He shuddered. "The Borg."  
"How long ago did you see the Borg?" Janeway asked, sounding worried.  
"About five months ago." Arridor replied. "It was only a scout ship, though. We were able to evade it."  
Janeway paced around the biobed. "Did you find any technology that might improve your ship's chances of getting back?"  
Arridor grinned. "As a matter of fact, we found something on a planet called Juradell III. You may want to take a look at it."

"_Another_ Caretaker?" Tom Paris asked incredulously.  
Janeway nodded. "That's what Arridor said. Apparently it's a younger Caretaker, but it is able to send ships along great distances."  
Chakotay frowned. "How can we trust Arridor? He is a Ferengi, after all."  
Janeway nodded. "I understand your scepticism, but I believe we should investigate. Juradell III is only two days behind us, and if it is indeed another Caretaker, it might be able to speed up our journey, maybe even get us home." She looked at Paris. "Tom, plot a course to Juradell III, maximum warp. Dismissed."  
As the senior staff left the Briefing Room, Chakotay waited until they were all gone before speaking. "Kathryn, I know the prospect of getting home tomorrow, or in a week, would be good, the Ferengi could be leading us into a trap. This area is crawling with Hirogen."  
"Like I said, I understand your being a bit wary." Janeway replied. "But still, the slim chance of finding a quicker way home is too promising to ignore. We'll proceed with caution, and keep our Ferengi guests in custody." She left the Briefing Room, and headed to the Bridge.  
Once she had gone, Chakotay looked out the window and saw the ship stop, change course, and go to warp again. As Voyager began its two day journey, Chakotay decided to have a little chat with the Ferengi.

Kol paced his cell in the brig, infuriated. The humans had locked him up while Arridor was being cared for in their Sickbay like a spoilt child! Just because he'd been stunned once…  
Another human entered the brig. It was the tattooed one, Chakotay. Kol remembered him from last time they'd met.  
"Ah, Commander." He said. "So good to see you again."  
"I wish I could say the same." Chakotay replied. "What can you tell me about Juradell III?"  
"It's the location of an alien being capable of transporting ships over great distances." Kol told him. "It calls itself the Oracle."  
"Did you meet this Oracle?" Chakotay asked.  
Kol nodded. "Oh yes. It took the form of a young human male, and told us of its powers. It was preparing to send us back to the Alpha Quadrant, when the Hirogen attacked. It said it had its powers occupied with fighting the Hirogen, and could only send us a short way back. It sent us back to our shuttle, and transported us five light years away from the planet."  
"Do you think the Hirogen would still be there?" Chakotay asked.  
Kol shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not one of your human 'gods'."  
Chakotay frowned. "I was just asking a question. Was there anyone else with the Oracle?"  
Kol shook his head. "No, it was by itself. Until the Hirogen showed up, there were no other ships or stations, and no one else on the planet."  
Chakotay nodded. "Thank you." He said, and walked out of the brig.  
As soon as he was gone, Kol began to laugh loudly. What a fool that human was.

After two days Voyager reached Juradell III. It was an abandoned M-class planet with conditions similar to Earth. However, Janeway could see huge storm clouds in the atmosphere.  
"Try hailing the planet." She said.  
Harry Kim tried, but there was no response. "There doesn't seem to be anyone down there."  
Janeway could feel her hope sinking. "Can you scan for life forms?"  
"I'm trying, but there's a lot of interference from those storm clouds." Kim replied.  
Janeway turned to Chakotay. "Take a shuttle and try to locate this Oracle. And take Mr Arridor with you."  
"You might want to take me too, Commander." Paris said from the helm. "Those storm clouds are pretty nasty, and you'll need your best pilot if you're going to get through them."  
Chakotay nodded, and the two men left the bridge.

"Can he walk?" Chakotay asked.  
The Doctor nodded. "He's recovered from his stun blast, so he should be fine."  
Arridor got up and began to walk out of Sickbay. Before they left, the Doctor called, "Commander! Before you go, you might want to take a look at this."  
Chakotay walked back. "What is it?"  
The Doctor held up a scan of Arridor's brain. "There appears to be some sort of tight-beam communications module inside his cerebral cortex. It's controlled by thought."  
"Can you trace where the signal's going?" Chakotay asked.  
The Doctor shook his head. "It can cut through almost any interference or dampening field."  
Chakotay nodded. "I'll watch him closely. In the meantime, try to find a way to trace the destination of the signal. Get B'Elanna to help you if you need it." He walked out of Sickbay, accompanied by Paris and Arridor.  
They took the shuttle and headed for the surface.

Inside his cell, Kol received a message through the module in his brain – _It's time._  
Kol reached inside his mouth and flicked the small switch on his back molar. Closing his mouth tightly, he collapsed to the ground, twitching.  
Two of the human guards saw him, and ran to investigate. They lowered the forcefield and ran in. One of them attempted to check Kol's pulse, but was stopped as a cloud of gas was expelled from Kol's mouth. Both guards fell to the ground, dead.  
Kol got up and grabbed one of their phasers. It seemed the poison he'd acquired from the Kaldani was only effective against humans.  
Kol ran out of the brig and headed for the shuttle bay.

As the shuttle descended into the cloud cover and the storm hit them, the ship began to shake. Paris worked the controls, keeping them as steady as he could.  
"If you find the Oracle and return to Earth, what will happen to us?" Arridor asked.  
"I expect you'll be taken back to Ferenginar." Chakotay said.  
"I don't think that will happen anytime soon." Arridor murmured.  
"Why's that?" Chakotay asked.  
"Because you will not find the Oracle." Arridor told him. "What you _will_ find is a Borg colony, where your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own."  
Chakotay's blood ran cold as a Borg implant appeared on Arridor's face. "Resistance is futile."  
Chakotay raised his phaser, but Arridor knocked it out of his hands. Paris turned from the helm aiming his phaser and fired. The blast hit the Ferengi square in the stomach, but a green shield sprang up. It appeared he had adapted to their phaser modulation already.  
Arridor advanced on Chakotay. The First Officer wrestled with the Ferengi for a few moments before Arridor threw Chakotay against the side of the cabin. Paris threw himself at Arridor, but the Ferengi gripped him by the uniform and threw him at the back of the shuttle. Paris slumped to the ground, unconscious.  
Arridor grabbed the controls and started his ascent away from the planet.

Kol ran down the corridor, gripping his phaser tightly. He knew he must be near the shuttle bay.  
Suddenly two human guards came out of nowhere and fired at Kol. One blast hit him in the chest, but a green shield appeared. He had adapted to their phaser settings. He smiled at the guards, and a Borg implant appeared on his cheek. "Resistance is futile."  
One of the guards tapped his combadge. "Smith to Janeway, the Ferengi has turned out to be a Borg."  
"_A Borg? Can you kill it?_" came the response.  
"It's adapted to our phasers already." Smith replied. "I suggest that you contact Commander–"  
Smith was unable to get another word out as Kol fired his phaser twice. Both guards fell to the ground, stunned. Kol continued on his way to the shuttle bay as alarm klaxons began blaring.  
He reached the shuttle bay, and headed for the nearest shuttle when a phaser beam struck him in the back. His Borg shields stopped the energy from hurting him. He turned and saw Janeway holding a phaser rifle. "Step away from the shuttle."  
Kol advanced on Janeway, and she fired again. Again the Borg shields adapted to the blast. Janeway set her rifle to maximum power, and fired a long, sustained phaser burst. It pierced the Borg shields and vaporized Kol.  
Janeway lowered her rifle. "Janeway to Bridge."  
"_Kim here, Captain_."  
"Can you establish a communications link with Commander Chakotay's shuttle?" she asked.  
"_No ma'am, they're still…wait, they're coming out of the atmosphere now._" Kim paused. "_Captain, they're charging weapon at us!_"  
Janeway looked at the shuttle Kol had attempted to steal. "I'm taking a shuttle out. I'm going to try and capture them. Janeway out."  
She got inside the shuttle, powered up the engines, and flew out to meet Arridor.

Arridor sensed through the Borg communications module that Kol had been killed. No matter. Arridor would take these two humans to the Borg Nexus, where they would be assimilated.  
Suddenly, another Federation shuttle began firing on him. Arridor scanned the shuttle, and discovered Janeway was piloting it.  
Arridor made evasive manoeuvres, and charged weapons. He then fired at Janeway.

Janeway's shuttle was buffeted by the attack from Arridor, but only sustained minimal damage. She brought the shuttle around and targeted Arridor's shield generator. Two blasts managed to disable it. She locked on with transporters and beamed Chakotay and Paris aboard. They were both unconscious.  
Arridor suddenly stopped attacking Janeway and made a beeline for Voyager. It seemed he was going on a suicide run.  
"Janeway to Voyager, destroy that oncoming shuttle now!" She cried.  
A few seconds later a phaser burst destroyed Arridor's shuttle. Janeway breathed a sigh of relief.  
"_Captain, just before the shuttle was destroyed, Arridor used a Borg algorithm to transport through the shields. He's taking the Ferengi Pod_." Kim reported.  
Sure enough, Janeway saw the small Ferengi vessel leave Voyager's shuttle bay and head towards Juradell III. Janeway moved to intercept the Pod, but its engines must have been enhanced because it was much faster than it should have been. It managed to evade Janeway's shuttle and break through the atmosphere.  
"_Captain, I suggest you get back immediately. I'm picking up two Borg cubes on an intercept course!_" Kim told her.  
"Suggestion noted, Mr Kim." Janeway replied, and took her shuttle back to Voyager. As soon as she was aboard, Voyager went to warp.

"It's quite simple, really." B'Elanna Torres, the Chief Engineer, explained. "When Arridor and Kol discovered the Borg colony on Juradell III, they were captured and implanted with a small, almost undetectable tight-beam communications module. Sort of a Collective of two. The modules had a small amount of nanoprobes inside them, which is why we couldn't detect they were Borg. Then, when the time was right, the nanoprobes were released."  
"Excellent work, B'Elanna." Janeway said. "Everyone return to your stations, and continue our course for the Alpha Quadrant. Dismissed."  
Everyone except Chakotay left the room. "You alright, Kathryn?"  
Janeway paced the Briefing Room. "I know we lost a bit of time investigating Juradell III, and I know we lost two security guards when Kol made his escape. But if there had been an Oracle on the surface, who could have sent us home, it might not have happened." She swallowed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is sorry for putting you in a situation where you could have been assimilated, and for not listening to your advice. I guess the urge to get home overcame me."  
Chakotay smiled. "It's happened to me once or twice. There's no need to apologise."  
The two of them walked out to the Bridge, and continued their journey to the Alpha Quadrant.

On the surface of Juradell III, Arridor's Pod landed. He stepped out of the Pod and was escorted by two drones to a large structure nearby. Inside were many alcoves and drones, as well as a large display screen that showed the face of the Borg Queen.  
"Ah, Arridor." The Queen purred. "So good to see you again."  
The small part of individuality that was still within Arridor shuddered as he experienced déjà vu. "I escaped from the Federation vessel, Voyager. I was not able to recover any information of value, though."  
"Voyager…" The Queen thought for a moment. "You have performed well, but our project on creating drones with individuality thought processes has failed. Where is Kol?"  
"He was killed by Janeway." Arridor replied. "What do you mean, the project has failed?"  
The Queen smiled. "You have served the Collective well as our experiment. Now, you will serve it as a full drone." The display screen turned off.  
Drones advanced on Arridor. The small part of individual thought within Arridor wanted to run, but the Borg part of him took over. He stayed perfectly still as the drones assimilated him.  
All Arridor could do was watch as the last remnant of individuality in him was erased.  
Then, all he knew was the Collective.


End file.
